Talk to me about any of our welfare campaigns, volunteering opportunities and getting involved in the community.
Sabbatical Blog
This Week - Olympics, Halls, Housing, Community Reps
Interested in what I've been up to this week, and what changes have been made to your University experience? Hopefully there's something for everyone so read on to find out more! If you want to get in touch about anything at all then please do so at stephen.roberts@upsu.net
Halls Exec
It was agreed at Student Council a couple of months ago that the Union are going to be having much more of a presence in Halls next year, so there is a real incentive to get involved in your Halls Committees and make a change! The new positions will include President, Events (Socials and Sport), Environment, RAG and Welfare. This should be a great opportunity for first year students to get involved in what is going on at the Union, and for the Union to provide better representation in Halls.
This week has seen me working on the Handbook for the new Halls Executive Committee (not the most exciting job but it has to be done!) and starting to plan how the elections will look at the beginning of next year.
Community Reps
If you don't live in Halls, or never did, then don't worry we are still working to better represent students who are living in private accommodation. We've only had a couple of students volunteering as Community Reps this year but are looking to expand this and get more people involved. If you think you could represent students in your local area, or organise events in Fratton, Southsea etc then get in touch and register your interest!
Accommodation Survey
I'm currently putting together a University wide survey on student accommodation standards, and the process of house hunting. If you've had a particularly bad (or good!) experience with any of these then let me know!
Art 2012
We're still busy planning our Art 2012 exhibition, which will take place in Cascades from the 4th-7th May. If you're interested in entering your own artwork into the exhibition then check out www.upsu.net/art2012
Sport Relief
We are organising the Portsmouth Sport Relief Mile, taking place on Sunday 25th March! We've got hundreds of people signed up to race but are still looking for both runners and volunteers to help out on the day - if you're interested in volunteering then get in touch, or check out http://my.sportrelief.com/search/event/result?id=1047 for more details.
Mini-Olympics Festival
To complete our sport-themed volunteering opportunities, there is the chance to get involved in our Mini-Olympics festival, at which local schoolchildren will be competing in a variety of sports and taking part in cultural activities. This event is a part of our 'Be a Champion' project, which aims to encourage more students to get involved in, and be inspired by the upcoming Olympic Games. Check out the Be a Champion Facebook page for more details.
Parking Consultation
Yesterday I wrote about the parking consultation that has recently taken place in Portsmouth, excluding many students. If you're unhappy about the way the consultation took place then please get in touch, so I can take the issue to Portsmouth City Council.
Other News
Last but not least I've provided a bit of an update about our Zero Tolerance and Gender Neutral toilet policies - if you missed them the first time round then please have a read through and let me know what you think!
All about breasts
This week saw Breast Cancer Awareness month kick off around campus.....RAG and Cheerleading were out in force on Saturday to raise money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer with a total of over £400 raised in their RAG Raid on Commercial Road! We're gradually getting the Union dec'd out in pink ribbons to mark the month, and should have a messageboard set up downstairs sometime next week.
Settling In week is starting on Monday, and there's plenty of opportunity to get involved in what's going on; from workshops with Purple Door, awareness session with Cancer Research UK, free fitness classes from Sport and Recreation and Bike marking outside the Library, to promoting Local Democracy Week run by Portsmouth City Council!
Other stuff going on included
I've probably forgotten something because it's all a little bit crazy still here with the start of term so will get some more stuff up soon!
Steve
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What's Hot?
Environment Week
It's coming up next week, and between the Union and the University there's loads you can get involved in!
Fairtrade teabag competition (All week!) -
The University and Students' Union are committed to Fairtrade produce, and we want to promote this! Every cafe and restaurant at the University, as well as the Union Shop, will have a jar of Fairtrade teabags at the till - all you have to do is guess how many teabags are in the container for the chance to win a UPSU Hoodie! It's free to enter so give it a go!
Environmental Volunteering (TBC) -
Our Volunteering in Portsmouth group offer a load of opportunities to volunteer throughout the year. At the moment they're planning a Scrapheap Challenge with local Scouts groups, to promote recycling amongst younger people. If this sounds like something you're interested in, or if you have any ideas about environmental volunteering projects then get in touch at vipenvironmental@upsu.net
Talk/Debate on Environmental topics, brought to you by our Ethics and Environment Officer (TBC) -
We're hoping to get either a local action group or the University's Environment Facilitator along to facilitate a talk with students on the environmental issues that affect them at the institution
Halls 'Switch it Off, Turn it Down" Day (24th November) -
For a 24 hour period the University will be encouraging all Halls residents to turn off their lights and electicals and turn down the heating, when they dont need them. During that time, they will be monitoring the gas and electric meters to show all staff and students on campus how much they can change the CO2 footprint with small and by no means drastic changes
Bike Maintenance Stall (11-2pm, 24th and 25th November) -
We want to promote green travel as much as possible, and there's no better way to get around Portsmouth than by bike (There are no hills)! If you pop along to the Library on the above days Portsmouth City Council will be putting on a bike maintenance stall to ensure you're all travelling safely
For those that aren't already aware, I'm hard at work this month growing a moustache for charity. It's all part of Movember (formerly known as November), which encourages men around the world to grow a bit of upper lip hair to support the charity, and raise awareness about men's health issues such as prostate and testicular cancer.
It's not just me getting involved either, we've got guys across the University doing it - clubs, societies and even lecturers are getting in the spirit to try and raise a bit of money. One thing that's struck me however is that there are literally hundreds of people growing a moustache for the duration of the month but not actually raising any money as a part of it! If everyone that's taking part registers with Movember and raises just a quid from one of their housemates then that's over a hundred pounds raised towards the charity. If everyone gets their mum or dad to sponsor for, lets say, a tenner then we're closer to £1000! So you get my drift, if you're growing a moustache in aid of Movember, take a couple of minutes to register with the UPSU team at -
On a side note I'd just like to say a MASSIVE thanks to everyone that got involved in Pink Wednesday...official figures aren't in but it looks like you've all helped towards raising over £800 for Breakthrough breast Cancer as a result of the Union's Breast Cancer Awareness Month :)
Steve
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